Cabinet wants to return to electronic voting

The first experiments of the entirely new system can be used at the Parliamentary elections in 2017, minister Ronald Plasterk of Internal Affairs said on Friday after a ministerial council meeting. 

Due to fraud sensitivity issues, the old models are being scrapped. The new system promises more streamlined options voters can choose from on the screen, with party logos or even pictures of candidates appearing next to their names. The voter then chooses an option, which will be printed on a ballot strip.

The voting procedure doesn't change, the voter still has to place the ballot in the box, and the ballots will be counted electronically after closing the polling stations.

European tenders will be sent out, and plans will be further enhanced over the coming years. Minister Plasterk will negotiate the share of the costs with the municipalities. The experiment, set in 2017, will be followed by an evaluation.

"You have to do this solidly. It must not be able to be cracked, privacy must be guaranteed and must be affordable", Plasterk told the ANP.

The one-time installation of the system will cost an estimated €200 million, and the implementation of it will cost around €10 million per election.